Before settling into his first night on the sidelines as Lakers coach, Mike D'Antoni, moving with a slight limp, walked out to a warm welcome from the fans in Los Angeles.

Those cheers were just as much for the sense of stability offered by D'Antoni's presence as they were for the man himself. The Lakers' start to the season has been far from drama free, and any figure offering a return to normalcy is welcome in Los Angeles.

It all started with the firing of former coach Mike Brown. His leash proved to be shorter than anyone thought, when he was fired only five games into his second year as coach. Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff took over the 1-5 Lakers and led them to four wins in five games.

D'Antoni's first game on the bench since he resigned from the New York Knicks in early 2012 ended with the Lakers taking home their sixth win of the season, the first against a team perceived as a lock to make the playoffs.

D'Antoni, known for his ability to coach a high-powered offense, had joked that the Lakers' offense would slow with him on the sidelines. That turned out to be true, while an unexpected bonus, the Lakers' ability to slow their opponents, also kicked in with D'Antoni on the sidelines at Staples Center.

"They shot 31 percent in the second half and we held them to 33 points. That's a good offensive team," D'Antoni said.

Through 10 games, the Lakers had allowed more than 100 points seven times, and 99 on another occasion. Facing a team with a similar makeup of superstars, the Lakers kept the Nets at bay in a 95-90 win. The Lakers had only held the Pistons, Warriors and Kings to 90 points or fewer in wins before Tuesday night.

There were certainly kinks to work out. The Lakers' final offensive possession, which morphed into chaos before Bryant was fouled and knocked down two free throws, showed that the Lakers still have work to do in terms of execution. An open look for Deron Williams as time expired underlined that point.

One setback in Los Angeles is tied to its decision to scrap the Princeton offense. Expected to give the Lakers' key players equal opportunity, it never quite worked for the Lakers. Then again, no offense can work when you give up points and face set defense on possession after possession.

Tuesday's box score looked like a projection of what the Lakers could be under the Princeton. Bryant continued his streak of efficiency with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting. It was the fourth time this season Bryant has shot 15 field goals or less, a far cry from the trigger-happy reputation he has gathered over the years, although the Lakers are often better served for having the ball in his hands. Bryant did have a big night at the free-throw line, finishing 8-of-10 at the stripe. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace came up with 17 each.

But Tuesday was about D'Antoni. He ditched his crutches days ago, yet D'Antoni spent much of the early going seated on the sidelines. By the end of the night, he was up on his feet and leading the huddle. D'Antoni's energy rubbed off on his team.

"He's still limping a little on that leg ...We appreciate his effort to be out there with us," Gasol said.

One of the biggest knocks on the Lakers was that they simply went through the motions as they racked up losses. The offense was out of sync and defense was lacking effort.

With Darius Morris in at point guard for Steve Nash, it's obvious that the offense will need time to develop into the "Showtime" style D'Antoni would like to see. But the Lakers have stepped up their effort on defense, one of the keys to maintaining a fast-paced offense with any level of success. The Nets shot only 41.5 percent from the field, and the Lakers had 37 attempts at the free-throw line to their 21.

All of a sudden, the Lakers were intent to run hard on the break, play within themselves and display some level of know how on defense. That could be coaching, but it could also be an aberration. Sporting News' Sean Deveney wrote, correctly, that the Lakers will be defined by defense. Maybe energy and effort should be added to that list. Both were on display for at least one night.